Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On November 25th, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, while attending the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum themed "All-round Development Together – Creating a Sustainable Future" in Quang Ninh Province, called on Japanese regions and businesses to continue trusting Vietnam and working hand in hand to contribute to the prosperity of both countries and the development of the Vietnam-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership.
Vietnam and Japan have maintained diplomatic relations for over 50 years, and since the relationship was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023, bilateral relations have entered a phase of positive development. Currently, local governments of the two countries have signed over 110 cooperation agreements, laying a solid foundation for deepening and solidifying the relationship. This forum is accompanied by over 100 matchmaking events and a Vietnam-Japan local exhibition – featuring over 40 booths showcasing featured products and a cultural experience area, providing a platform for practical cooperation.
Pham Minh Chinh pointed out that the forum embodies the spirit of "win-win development and creating a shared future," and has significant strategic importance. He emphasized that, drawing upon over 1,300 years of people-to-people exchanges and more than half a century of diplomatic accumulation, the friendship between Vietnam and Japan has become increasingly pragmatic and efficient: Japan is Vietnam's primary economic partner, ranking first in official development assistance and labor cooperation, and third and fourth in investment, trade, and tourism, respectively.
In the two years since the two countries upgraded their comprehensive strategic partnership, fruitful cooperation has been achieved: several new dialogue mechanisms have been added in traditional areas such as diplomacy and defense; ties have been strengthened in areas such as infrastructure and education; cooperation has extended to new areas such as digital transformation and the green economy; and technological cooperation has become a new pillar of bilateral relations. During the same period, bilateral trade increased by 20%, Japanese investment in Vietnam increased by over US$8 billion, the number of Vietnamese in Japan increased by over 20%, more than 10 new local cooperation relationships were established, and Vietnamese enterprises are accelerating their expansion into the Japanese market.
Pham Minh Chinh introduced that after 40 years of reform and opening up, Vietnam has become one of the world's top 35 economies and one of the top 20 global trading nations, establishing diplomatic relations with 194 countries and signing 17 free trade agreements. Per capita GDP has increased nearly 50 times compared to earlier years, and the macroeconomy and people's livelihoods have continued to improve. In the future, Vietnam will overcome bottlenecks related to systems and talent, driven by science and technology innovation, striving to achieve double-digit growth from 2026 onwards and become a developed high-income country by 2045.
Regarding the business environment, Pham Minh Chinh stated that Vietnam will focus on "system integration, smooth infrastructure, and smart governance," transforming institutional bottlenecks into competitive advantages. He proposed that both sides should deepen cooperation based on complementary local advantages, strengthen cultural and tourism exchanges, and expand cooperation in areas such as digital technology, smart cities, and green transformation, using innovation and digital transformation as new growth engines.
Pham Minh Chinh reiterated that the Vietnamese government will continue to work hand in hand with Japanese local governments and investors, and looks forward to Japan taking concrete actions to deepen trust with Vietnam and jointly promote common development. (End)
